By negotiating a contract extension for athletic director DeLoss Dodds beyond August 2011, the Longhorns retained an invaluable resource in an uncertain college landscape.

In the process, the talk of Mack Brown moving into the athletic director’s office by 2011 stopped. So did the speculation that head coach-designate Will Muschamp would then take over on the Texas sidelines…

Three prime coaching spots could come open by December – Florida (where Urban Meyer’s health remains a question), Georgia (Muschamp’s alma mater) and LSU (where Muschamp was once defensive coordinator). Each would be attractive.

By December, hmmm? I guess I can look forward to plenty of blog traffic this winter.

Speaking at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, Pickens said Wednesday that he doesn’t think Oklahoma State should move to another conference “before you’re required to make that decision.”

Because the Cowboys, no doubt, are overwhelmed with more offers to move than Texas. Maybe T. Boone is worried about a hostile takeover of the Big 12.

And he probably should be, because based on this tweet from Rock M Nation, conference commissioner Dan Beebe just received the proverbial kiss of death.

Craig James says Dan Beebe is “the right guy” to combat conference expansion. What’s the opposite of “QED” by chance?

Meanwhile, even a move that makes sense – Boise State moving to the Mountain West – is the subject of some nicely set up mockery from Brian Cook.

The new conference would be guaranteed a BCS bid for the single year of its existence, at which point the Pac 10 and Big 12 will tear it limb from limb and keep the shiny bits to themselves. But 2011 will be cool.

With that, humor hour ends. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming of angst and unfounded speculation.